Shloka 213
न शक्या युधि निर्जेतुं त्ववन्येन परंतप । “उग्रस्वभाव
sañjaya uvāca |
na śakyā yudhi nirjetuṃ tvad-anyena paraṃtapa |
ugrasvabhāvā bhīṣaṇa-parākramā bhayaṅkara-karma-kṛtaś ca tuṣārā yavanāḥ khaśā dārvābhisārā daradāḥ śakā māṭharā taṅgaṇā āndhrāḥ pulindāḥ kirātā mlecchāḥ parvatīyāḥ samudra-taṭa-vartinaś ca yodhāḥ |
yuddha-kuśalā roṣāveśa-yuktā balavanto daṇḍa-hastāḥ kruddhāḥ kaurava-sainikaiḥ saha duryodhanasya sahāyārthaṃ samāgatāḥ |
śatrūn saṃtāpayanta vīra tvām ṛte ’nyo na śaknoti jetum ||
Sañjaya sprach: „O Bezwinger der Feinde, diese Krieger können im Kampf von niemand anderem als von dir besiegt werden. Von Natur aus wild, furchtbar an Tapferkeit und zu schrecklichen Taten geneigt—Tūsharas, Yavanas, Khashas, Darvabhisaras, Daradas, Śakas, Māṭharas, Taṅgaṇas, Āndhras, Pulindas, Kirātas und andere Mleccha-Kämpfer—Bergbewohner und Männer der Meeresküste—kriegskundig, von Zorn ergriffen, stark und mit Keulen in den Händen, sind sie in Wut mit den Kaurava-Truppen gekommen, um Duryodhana beizustehen. O Held, der die Feinde peinigt, außer dir gibt es keinen, der sie schlagen kann.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores a war-time ethic of realistic appraisal: strength, training, and morale (here, rage and cohesion) determine outcomes, and leadership is measured by the capacity to face concentrated, formidable forces. It also reflects the epic’s habit of classifying diverse frontier peoples as ‘mleccha’ while still acknowledging their martial competence.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that numerous fierce, non-Kuru allied fighters—named by their peoples and regions—have joined the Kaurava side to support Duryodhana. He emphasizes that these enraged, club-bearing, battle-skilled warriors are so formidable that only the addressed hero (the ‘paraṃtapa’) is capable of defeating them in battle.